FCC Approves TDD Deployment in Upper 700 MHz A Block

The FCC has approved deployment of Time Division Duplex (TDD) equipment in the upper 700 MHz A Block.

Access Spectrum, which holds wireless spectrum licenses in the Upper 700 MHz A Block covering two-thirds of the United States, said in a statement that the decision confirms that TDD equipment, which uses a single frequency for both transmission and reception, can be deployed in full compliance with FCC regulations in the Upper 700 MHz A Block, without the worry of interference.

Michael Gottdenker, chairman and CEO of Access Spectrum said the FCC’s authorization for the use of TDD equipment marks an important milestone in the development of the Upper 700 MHz A Block.

"This approval demonstrates that the equipment complies with the regulatory technical rules that apply to the A Block. The development of this equipment helps to illustrate the wide range and variety of technologies that can be deployed by technology companies, critical infrastructure enterprises, and government entities that are in need of wireless spectrum to deploy any number of cutting edge technologies – from machine to machine communications to smart grid applications, from hospital and health care connectivity to high-quality data processing,” Gottdenker said.

The news should be encouraging to a company like Sprint, which has chosen to go ahead with a TDD LTE rollout, on hopes that committments from China Mobile to do the same will help scale the technology.

However slowly, Sprint is deploying is "ultra-broadband TDD-LTE" network in its newly-acquired 2.5 GHz spectrum. Sprint’s TDD deployment will be the first use of the technology in a national deployment in North America.